1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector structure in which a pair of male and female connectors are fitted together.
2. Related Art
Conventionally, lever type connectors have been known (refer to, for example, JP-A-9-120859). FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view which shows a lever type connector disclosed in JP-A-9-120859.
Referring to FIG. 10, in a lever type connector 100, a rotating lever 101 is supported on a connector main body 120 of a male side connector 110 in such a manner as to rotate about support pins 121 of the connector main body 120 by allowing the support pins 121 to be fitted in shaft holes 102 in the rotating lever 101.
While assisting the connector main body 120 of the male side connector 110 in performing a fitting operation into a female side connector 130 as it rotates, the rotating lever 101 brings the individual connectors 110, 130 into a state where the connectors are fitted in or on each other. Namely, the female side connector 130 is accommodated and fitted in a hood portion of the connector main body 120 of the male side connector 110, and cam pins 131 which are provided on an external surface of the female side connector 130 in such a manner as to project therefrom are fitted, respectively, in cam grooves 103 formed on the rotating lever 101 via cuts 122a formed through the hood portion 122. In addition, an engagement claw 105 provided on a base portion 104 of the rotating lever 101 in such a manner as to project therefrom is fitted in an engagement hole 123a in a locking projection 123 which is provided on the connector main body 120 of the male side connector 110. By this configuration, the fitted state of the connectors 110, 130 are maintained via the rotating lever 101.
With the conventional lever type connector 100 shown in FIG. 10, since the rotating lever 101 functioned to bring the connectors 110, 130 into the state where they were fitted in or on each other, when the rotating lever 101 failed, there was caused a problem that the fitted state of the connectors 110, 130 could not be maintained any longer.
Then, a fitting mechanism (not shown) for causing the connectors 110, 130 to be fitted in or on each other can be provided separately from the rotating lever 101 which brings the connectors 110, 103 into the fitted state. According to the configuration like this, even though the rotating lever fails, the fitted state of the connectors can be maintained by the fitting mechanism.
On the other hand, however, when canceling the fitting of the connectors, separately from a canceling operation of the fitting of the connectors by means of the lever, an additional operation of canceling the fitting of the connectors by means of the fitting mechanism needed to be performed. Therefore, there were caused problems that the operating procedure became complicated and troublesome and that there was caused a fear that due to the complicated and troublesome operating procedure, a failure to follow the operating procedure would occur, which would trigger a failure of constituent members of the connectors. Namely, for example, when the fitting of the connectors was canceled by the lever while having failed to perform the canceling operation of the fitting by the fitting mechanism of the connectors, there was a fear that the fitting mechanism would fail by virtue of the toggle effect of the lever.